Fincantieri has handed over a new multipurpose OPV, Domenico Millelire, to the Italian Navy at a ceremony in La Spezia.
The new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) is the fifth PPA (Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura, or Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessel) built by Fincantieri for the Italian Navy, under a programme managed by joint armament procurement and life management agency OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement).
The 143-metre platform is capable of more than 31 knots, displaces around 6,200 tonnes, has a range of up to 5,000 nautical miles, and a crew of 171.
The Domenico Millelire was first launched in July 2024 at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Riva Trigoso, which lies on the coast midway between Genoa and the Italian naval base at La Spezia. She was handed over to the Italian Navy yesterday (Thursday) in a special ceremony held at the firm’s facility in Muggiano, adjacent to La Spezia.
Seven of the PPA warships, also known as the Thaon di Revel class, are being built for the Marina Militare Italiana under a contract initially priced at about €3.9 billion.
Two of the hulls initially destined for Italy were sold to the Indonesian Navy, with replacements for the Italian programme ordered. The last two ships in the class destined for Italy, Marcantonio Colonna and Ruggiero di Lauria, are under construction and are due to be commissioned into service in 2029 and 2030, respectively.
The class was originally intended as a mix of light and fully equipped vessels, but under a revised deal announced in April 2026, all seven of the PPAs will be upgraded to the Full Combat System specification. As per an OCCAR statement, they will also receive cyber-defence upgrades and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) systems.
Full configuration vessels come equipped with two eight-cell vertical launch systems (VLS) for Aster anti-aircraft missiles, eight Teseo Evo Mk2/E anti-ship missile launchers, two triple torpedo launchers for anti-submarine warfare, an Active Towed Array Sonar and a full electronic warfare (EW) suite.
As per Fincantieri: “The PPA is a highly flexible ship with the capacity to serve multiple functions, ranging from patrol with sea rescue capacity to Civil Protection operations and, in its most highly equipped version, first line fighting vessel.”
- You can read more details on the Fincantieri website
